Wednesday, 26 December 2007

Of course I meant to say I'm from Scotland. I was trying to imitate the Scottish accent, and I ended up hearing my friend say, "you need to learn English first..."

Bonus:My friend Hank was excited while playing Monopoly today, and said, "Hey, it's $25 for one houses each!" What! One houses each!! Bhwahahaha But then, what can I say, I am the one who once said, "let's read one verses each" and "let's take photo of one feet each!"

Sunday, 23 December 2007

I am born in South-Korea and came to Australia when I was 16.As you can imagine (or at least you can tell) that I still struggle to grasp the language of Australia, English. I am not very self-assertive person, nor very out-going. In fact, I am very introverted, reflective, and introspective.

This personality of mine plays on how I speak in English time to time. At times, when I am with people I am not quite comfortable with, I struggle much more than usual to speak in English. Pronunciations that I am familiar enough normally around my close friends become much more challenging when I am at some unfamiliar place or even at work. I forget the phrases I know, and stuff up the grammar I am used to.When I make a mistake, I feel embarrassed, and it makes me even less confident about how I speak, then I speak even less and struggle more and end up making more mistakes. Such goes the vicious spiral downwards...

But, when I think about it, I don't really need to be self-conscious and feel embarrassed. It probably will help me to be a bit more light-hearted about it and laugh when I make mistakes or someone points them out.

So, here's what I'll do on my blog.Time to time, when I make a mistake speaking in English, I'll post it up here.

and... first of such posts, here it goes...

Few days ago, actually, it was a few weeks ago now... (I saved this post a while back) I was at work, and was talking to another programmer, Nick. We were discussing a programming issue we had been trying to resolve, and decided to talk to another programmer/supervisor, Dan. When I checked to see if he was at his desk, he wasn't, and I said to Nick, "eh... maybe later, he's not on his desk."

!!!

'on his desk???'

I felt my face warming up.'He's not AT his desk, not ON!'

All these 'at', 'on', 'in', 'by', and such words always confuse me.

Well, my good work colleague did not say anything about my statement, but just understood what I meant and didn't make me feel more embarrassed. Thanks, mate!

This new movie, The Golden Compass, and Northern Lights, the novel by Pullman which the movie is based upon are gaining more and more attention in Christian circles. Some concerns are voiced as the story is intentionally atheistic and anti-Christian, but I am glad to see some confident responses to this "apparent" rise of atheism in today's culture.Tony Payne notices:

Pullman's trilogy has already joined the honour roll of recent anti-Christian bestsellers (think The Da Vinci Code, The God Delusion and God is not Great). Personally, I think this trend is a promising development. It is much better to be attacked than ignored—to be on the agenda of public debate than to be marginalized.

Atheism has a powerful appeal when Christians aren’t well taught, honest and engaged. Its message can be potent when you’ve lived like a rabbit instead of a watchman or a witness. Many of the Christians warning us of “Atheists Ahead!” may be afraid their own faith couldn’t survive reading Sam Harris’s book. Atheists make dozens of challenges to Christianity and Christians that are MUCH NEEDED and LONG OVERDUE for consideration in many Christian circles.

A thoughtful article at Challies dot com about a Christian response (or responsibility) towards the declining public education system:

We look to be a transformative influence. If schools truly are “prime battlegrounds for cultural conflicts,” as Dr. Mohler states, why would we purposely remove ourselves from them? Why would we give up and retreat from this battleground? If this is where the hearts and minds of generations of citizens will be formed, why would we take no interest in it? If we retreat, we lose our voice.

The article primarily talks about the public education system but the general principle is applicable to other issues we face today. Read it here.

Tuesday, 18 December 2007

A week of holidays, over too soon.Back at work, feeling the doom.Oh, wait, girls are still on loose.You then, sort the photos, make the memories bloom.Others like me, working bees trapped in a room,Be joyful for the work God gave you.Soon enough, God will lift your gloom.

Well, now the photos are available for those interested, I won't point you there though. You'll know where to look if you know me or any of us who went on the holidays together.

Warning: photos may be misleading...Lesson to be learned: don't trust everything you see especially on the internet.

Came back from the holidays last Saturday.No, sorry, although we took some photos, the camera didn't belong to me, hence I can't promise to post up any photos up.Anyways, I took an extra day off today to "recover from the holidays", and I'll be back to work tomorrow. In fact, it's today now.Hopefully, I'll keep up my writing motivations and post up some thoughts going through my head more frequently from tomorrow.For now, it's bedtime.

Wednesday, 12 December 2007

I've been on a holiday since last Monday. My friends and I came to Shell Harbour, about 3 hour-drive from Sydney. Unfortunately, the weather's been... cloudy, and few showers everyday, and quite chilly as well. It does not feel like a summer holiday at all. So we've been watching a few movies and playing some card games.

I don't quite mind staying indoor and spending time with friends, and get away from normal daily things, but hopefully the weather will get better before we head back Sydney.

Thursday, 6 December 2007

Grief is like living with a profound absence, a shadow that lurks at every corner. At times it has felt like a physical pain.

It was a moving story he shared, and I could identified with his emotions more than I actually wanted to... well, I won't share my story here, but just let me say that I am most helped and comforted by what he shared there.

Wednesday, 5 December 2007

"Spatial disorientation" is what an aircraft pilot experiences when he flies into weather conditions that prevent him from being able see the horizon or the ground. Points of reference that guide his senses disappear. His perceptions become unreliable. He no longer is sure which way is up or down. It can be deadly.

The only way a pilot can overcome spatial disorientation is to be trained to read and trust his cockpit instruments to tell him what is real. That’s why flight instructors force student pilots to learn to fly planes by the instruments alone.

There is a spiritual parallel. I’ve experienced it. On a spring day in May 1997, I flew into a spiritual storm.

The only way a pilot can overcome spatial disorientation is to be trained to read and trust his cockpit instruments to tell him what is real. That’s why flight instructors force student pilots to learn to fly planes by the instruments alone. Go and read it, act upon it, and pray for those around you who are struggling. And... pray for me too.

Perhaps I am going through such storm at the moment... Perhaps a few years down the track, I would be speaking from my own experience then...

I follow Justin Taylor's blog. While I don't feel I understand everything on his blog, I thank him for I have benefited much from his posts. (Mr. Taylor, if you ever come to visit here on my blog, I just wanted to say, THANK YOU!)

Just today, I saw a post on his blog about a book review done by Doug Groothuis of Denver Seminary. I never heard of the Denver Seminary, nor the professor who reviewed it. I also have no idea about the book nor its author. I am not going to talk about them. What captured my interest was the phrase quoted on Justin Taylor's post. Professor Groothuis said:

Despite the strong points of The Philosophy of Jesus, we still await the definitive treatment of the philosophy of Jesus, the greatest thinker who ever lived.

Now, I am going to have to be careful here. I have no intention to dishonour my Lord by misrepresenting Him, nor do I wish to cause anyone to stumble. But I had to raise this one question. Was Jesus the greatest thinker who ever lived?

I would never hesitate to call Jesus, the greatest man who ever lived, for He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of the all creation. He is greater than the first Adam, He is greater than Angels, He is greater than prophets, He is greater than kings, He is the One and Only Son of God. So it kinda goes against my grain when I raise that question, "was Jesus the greatest thinker who ever lived?"

Imagine for a moment that somebody claimed Jesus was the fastest sprinter who ever lived. I don't think we need to go around arguing whether that statement is true or not. I think we simply don't have substantial evidence to say that Jesus was the fastest sprinter who ever lived. The Bible does not say anything about Jesus' running ability. Sure, he walked on water, so I think we can assume that, if He wanted to, He could have run faster than any human beings as well. (Perhaps He could've broken the world record while running on water!) But breaking world records was not His mission, and such specific event isn't recorded in the Bible. So I think it's quite pointless to claim such a thing as "Jesus was the fastest sprinter who ever lived", but even more so, it would be a misleading claim by distraction from what Jesus was about.

Now, back on to the original statement: Jesus, the greatest thinker who ever lived. Can we say that Jesus was the greatest thinker? On what basis would we be able to say that? What do we exactly mean when we say Jesus is the greatest thinker? On what evidence can we say Jesus was the greater thinker than other secular thinkers, such as Socrates or Plato? If we did have evidence, How would we measure that? It might be the case that I am just not quite knowledgeable in the field of philosophy that I am unable to answer all these questions and wondering about with that statement. Yes, if you asked me, I am afraid that I am not entirely sure how to answer my own question. All I could say at the moment (going by my gut-feeling as a Christian) is that, Jesus IS the greatest thinker who ever lived on the basis that Jesus knew and understood the ultimate reality, that is God, better than anyone who ever lived and who will ever live. But if you are applying the critical thinking, metal capacity to draw out logical conclusions, and so on, as the measuring stick, I don't know if I can say Jesus was the greatest thinker (philosopher) who ever lived.

During the war here, just one silver back was killed. And when it happened, within 48 hours millions in funding was sent to ensure the rest of the gorilla population was protected. Why isn't the same done with our women? I'll tell you why, because in the eyes of the international community animals have more value than humans in this part of the world.

What is described in the article is seriously horrific. But I feel so helpless as I know I am more than capable of ignoring such evil.

While I was waiting for Hanoh at Strathfield today, I saw a homeless man lying on the concrete floor outside the station. He was just lying there. People were not giving much attention to him, and only when they come within steps from him, they would be surprised and walk around to avoid coming too close to him. They were all so good at ignoring him. It seemed that only few steps were required to forget about a man lying on a street seemingly helplessly.

To most of us, he is kind of known. We know he hangs around the area and he is a homeless person. He was probably sleeping, or maybe even drunk...

Or... was he sick? Was he silently suffering some kind of pain? Did he lose consciousness because of some kind of illness? Or... was he dead?

I have no idea. I thought about going near him and check and see if he was ok, and even offer him help and talk to him about Jesus. But I only kept on looking at him... from a distance. I never had enough gut to go near him and see if he was not in some kind of urgent medical need. I never offered him help. I was just watching him from distance and listened to Hymns with my iPod. Oh, I use my iPod to listen to Hymns and Christian music, even sermons, I must be Christian! Wretched, disgusting hypocrite I am.

Thursday, 22 November 2007

Sometime early this year, I came to think about freewill of man. I probably should say that I hold to the Calvinistic view when it comes to the question of God's sovereign election and predestination. But that does not mean that I think we, humans do not have any "freewill". We still have an ability to make decisions in many areas of our lives. I cannot go much deeper since I am still undergoing a process of learning and un-learning in this subject, but as far as I know, Calvinistic view does not mean that humans have no freewill whatsoever.

So, after covering myself, let me get back to the subject of human freewill. I came to a conclusion that humans do have a "freewill" (the kind that is different to the ability to choose God and love Him), and that freewill we have only comes to us because we are spiritual beings. In other words, I concluded that our decisions and actions of freedom is a result of a spiritual act. I came to that conclusion because without spiritual element in the process, all things in the universe are deterministic. We are all physical beings and at the atomic level, everything has its mass and position with velocity/energy, so everything is and will behave in deterministic way. So for us to claim that we do have freedom, or freewill, we must be somehow above and beyond the physical limitation. Otherwise, we are just all bound by this deterministic law of the universe and whatever we do, it is in fact only a result of particles put in motion before we were even born.

Now, I learned later on that there's a such thing called chaos in our world. When we go to sub-atomic level, I learned that there are random activities going on and as far as we can tell, they are truly random, not just some phenomenon that is difficult-to-predict. This may pose a problem for my logic, since this indicates that not everything in the universe is deterministic. However, even so, this does not gift us with the freewill since it only says that things are not predictable, but we are still bound by the sub-atomic particles and their "random" activities.

So, I still hold to my view that human freewill can only be claimed and based upon another more profound truth, that humans are spiritual beings.

Now, I presented all these arguments without any reference to the Bible, and I am not going to give any here at the moment. Instead, I'll just show a secular and philosophical presentation on this very subject I found today.

Tuesday, 20 November 2007

Some of the contents of games are questionable, even for non-Christian community. But then, of course, Christians have tried to penetrate to this "market" and win over the place with Christian message. Here's a list how not to.

Oh, by the way, I like computer games. I used to spend quite a lot of time sitting in front of my computer and playing games. Now I often find myself not having enough time to do that, but still I casually play games like Warcraft/Dota, or Oblivion, etc.

It seems to me that to Australian eyes, when a man has a vaguely-asian-sounding surname, they just assume that we would be speak in one of the asian languages. Well, I am a Korean-born, immigrant to Australia, so I can speak Korean naturally. But this story of a brother was quite funny.

But sometimes, it gets a little bit beyond just being funny. My church is a Korean immigrants church (well, at least it has been so far), but we also have English speaking congregation who cannot quite understand Korean well, and many of them would not identify themselves as Koreans, but Australians. Granted, most of them are still Korean by blood, and have grown up in Korean culture because of their parents, even though they grew up in Australia. However, it is not always appreciated by everyone when a guest speaker addresses all of us as Koreans and display his broad(?) cultural experience. We'd rather be addressed as Australians and be given a fair treatment than to be treated special just because we look asian.

Saturday, 17 November 2007

Right. I was a bit tired and annoyed when I wrote about my new installation of Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon). I did have problems which made me re-install Ubuntu about 20 times, although in the end I was able to use my computer. However, as I tried to fine-tune my system to make it more performant, to my horror (ok, just annoyance), it's performance started deteriorate. When I drag windows, they would lag and leave trailing marks all over the screen, when I open an application, they would appear 3-4 seconds after I launched it, and so on. No desktop effects were enabled, nor was it possible.

However, I figured these all were caused by my graphics card (Radeon X1650 Pro AGP). More precisely, it was to do with the driver issue. Ubuntu couldn't configure my graphics card properly, and ATI didn't provide the right driver (or it might have been just me being ignorant not knowing how to configure it manually, but hey, I never claimed to be a seasoned linux user).

And so, I gave a last shot, I removed my X1650, and put back in my old card, Radeon 9250. It's a lower-end graphics card, but I was hoping that Ubuntu would be able to recognise it properly and also the driver supported. And I re-installed Gutsy again.

Gutsy recognised the driver, and all the previous display-related issues and performance issues disappeared. Amazing. Nice.

With desktop effects enabled, Gutsy Gibbon truly looks pristine, and the system responds promptly. I have to say that I am quite happy with this OS now, and it is growing on me as I use it more.

Now, after seeing me using Gutsy Gibbon for a few days, even Hank (my housemate) is willing to give it a try on his Virus-infected (no, not just infected, *infested*) computer. Great!

Sunday, 11 November 2007

No way... it must've been my recent posts about Linux and all. Or... it could be attributed to my shabby writing skills, especially in English. English isn't my first language, so please excuse me. ;-)

Ok, I give up. Ubuntu 7.10 is running well and all is fine now... as long as I don't try to change settings, or try something new. I admit that in the eyes of linux experts I must look ignorant and stupid, but after re-installing Gutsy Gibbon about 20 times over two days, it would be the linux enthusiasts who are presumptuous in claiming that linux is as easy as Windows (whatever that means). I now pretty much gave up on trying to fine-tune my system including my monitor/display settings, desktop effects, performance tuning, etc. Sure, everything is working ok, but all the bells and whistles features are not running and everytime I try to make it work, the whole system denies me. So, I will contend myself with just an ability to do simple word processing and surfing the net... for now.

I have to say though, after trying out Ubuntu installation, linux still has *A LOT* to catch up compared to Windows or OS X in terms of driver support and making things run "out of the box". This isn't entirely linux camp's fault, but also has to do with hardware manufacturers. They need to provide a way for open source developers to write and use drivers for their products. Without that "open-ness" the linux camp won't be able to penetrate into as wide user base as Windows. At the same time, linux camp will have to be careful in how they present themselves when they market their products as if they are as easy as installing and using Windows already because they are simply not (at least as of yet).

Saturday, 10 November 2007

Ah... Staying up till 4:30am installing Ubuntu 7.10 did not end too well. It turned out that Ubuntu installation was not as breezy-easy as some enthusiasts claim to be.

Huddles I had to overcome to make my computer boot up properly:1) I had to learn how to burn the Live CD (Installation CD). The fact that I forgot how to burn an image (.iso file) was one thing, but having to burn in a slo-mo (I used x8 speed) was another thing. Perhaps I was just being too impatient, but I burned 4 CD's at higher speeds and they all turned out faulty! Blank CD's are really cheap nowadays, but still, what a waste (especially of time)!

2) Some may attribute this to my old hardwares, but after installing OS and reboot, the screen would go blank. After some painful research, I found that it was to do with Ubuntu startup splash screen (that one with Ubuntu logo and a progress bar underneath). /etc/usplash.conf file did not have the right resolution setting (for my monitor whose maximum resolution is 1024x768) when installed, so it would mess up the graphics card and wouldn't display anything on the screen. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one having this issue and smart people posted up how to fix this problem on ubuntu forum.

3) Some of the hardware config setting was too brittle I found. When I finally got the above problem fixed, and logged on to my computer, I was trying to look around and see what this OS can do with my computer. When I was looking at my display setting, my monitor refresh setting seemed to be set a bit too high (from my memory), and with an intention to prevent hardware damage, I tried lowering refresh rate to 70Hz from 75Hz, but that suddenly gave me another blank screen! I was able to restart and login as root in recovery mode, but I couldn't start x-windows when I booted up normally. So what did I have to do? Re-installation.

4) Now, I still wanted to check out that famous desktop special effects (compiz/beryl), and I couldn't make it work with my current drivers. I tried downloading the latest driver from ATI website, and after installation, guess what? Another blank screen... damn... Well, I'm gonna give another shot at it still.

Will update if I finally get the whole thing working, but might take a while...

I've been looking around to buy a new computer (preferably a notebook) for a few weeks now.My current computer was becoming too slow and unreliable and I was worried that it would die on me suddenly. I already fixed it 4 times and spend around $600, and I didn't want to spend any more money on it. I also planned to install Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) as my operating system on this (old) desktop for a while.

Well, the time has come.No, I haven't bought a new computer yet, but when my windows was infected with a Trojan tonight, I thought it was time. As I type, my computer is being formatted and installed with Ubuntu 7.10. I was a little concerned at first when the Live CD failed to install. I found that there's some conflict with my dual-boot I configured years ago with RedHat 9. Fortunately, when I ran Windows-based Ubuntu installer (I don't know how else to describe it. I'm not as Tech-savvy any longer, but that's ok. Ubuntu seems easy enough ;-), Ubuntu installer worked as it should.

Now, I might have lost some data I've been junking up on my hard drive, but hopefully all those data I backed up will contain everything essential and will be useful when I get a new notebook computer.

Anyways... if any of this posting does not make sense to you, friends, do not worry, I'll just show you what Ubuntu is and can do when you visit my house next time.

Friday, 9 November 2007

Only took me about an hour and a half. It contains a long-ish introduction and two short essays.

I wrote a very (extremely) short review/opinion about the book at Shelfari.

I'm not sure if I can embrace the view point presented in this book in its entirety.

The two essays argue against the "(aggressive) feminism" of Miss Sayers' contemporaries, but taken in the current West society, at some points, it sounded as if she was promoting "egalitarianism", which is an idea that I disagree with.

Nevertheless, these are short, yet insightful writings that helped me to think deeper and wider.

A bit too pricy for its thickness, but if you want it, you can get it from here, or here.

Friday, 2 November 2007

Michael Spencer at the internetmonk has (re)evaluated Rick Warren(of the Saddleback Church and Purpose Driven Life) and his ministry. It was refreshing to see such an honest and humble approach he has taken. Too often I have seen people slamming someone without giving enough thoughts. Criticism is important, but the way it is expressed is equally important. If a criticism is expressed in a bad way, even if the criticism itself was legitimate, it may hinder people from seeing the truth rather than clarifying it.

Monday, 29 October 2007

Those Korean friends of mine would know what I mean by "Fire Chicken". It's a Korean dish that is made of chicken with super hot chili sauce.

Yes, I had it yesterday with some friends, and I tell you, having that dish is not just eating, but the whole body experience.

It looks so hot when you see it.It smells so spicy when you smell it.And your first bite, it makes the whole mouth burn and soon it's not hot or spicy, but only pure pain.Your eye starts going watery with the pain.Your face may be covered with sweat (if you are sweating type).When you swallow that piece, you can feel it in your stomach, as if there's a burning coal in your tummy.Oh, and you might start hearing things like some whistling sound in your ear (but it depends on people. Your mileage may vary).And even the day after, when you go to toilet, it'll give you the ring of fire (if you know what I mean...)

Gosh, that's just so painful, but somehow it's worth once in a while just for this whole painful experience. mmm... once in a very long while that is.

Sunday, 21 October 2007

I know, I know... that was a catchy title, and considering how that phrase "Bible-bash" has been used normally, it is a strange title, too.But these days, I've been hearing too many "Bible-talks", "sermons", or "preachings" that have so little Bible in it, or perhaps even worse, twist meaning of a passage, or press one's own view too hard that it does not sound consistent with the rest of the Bible any more. I call that "bashing the Bible."

If you asked me, I'd prefer getting "bible-bashed" by a preacher than hearing someone "bashing the Bible" any day.

Of course I don't mean that we can be irrelevant in preaching, but seriously, think about it, when you get the Bible right, you can't be irrelevant!

Friday, 12 October 2007

I never knew about AnnCoulter before, and a quick Goolgling about shows that I'll have to hold off my opinion about her. But this interview was an interesting (dare I say, entertaining?) one. Internetmonk has written a great comment on it here.

Thursday, 4 October 2007

That's what I said to a friend on our way home from a harbour cruise.It was almost 10 years ago.It was also the very first time I was totally intoxicated with alcohol. I wasn't even able to sit properly (I was on the bus next to my friend).

While I was so drunk that I couldn't handle my own body, and my mental ability degraded to only a little above that of a mere infant, I said "pray for me."

It is still strange to me that I said such a thing when I was drunk and to a friend whom I barely started to know.Yet, as I look back on that moment, it appeals more and more as an example of God's faithfulness.I remember myself being exhausted from daily routines (how ever mundane they were is not important) and pressure I and people around have put me to. Drinking, while I did not know how deep the hole was, was definitely an attractive escape route.

But, while I took the matters to my own hand rejecting to trust and obey Him, God still protected and led my life proving His faithfulness to His Word and His people. Those words I spoke to my friend asking to pray for me were not the proof that I was trusting God so much that I knew prayer was what was needed. Rather, I believe it was God who knew my short-comings and He knew my needs. "Pray for me" wasn't a much a plea to my friend, but to God who remained sovereign in all things including my life. As I was feeling so weak and helpless because of intoxication, it was only a natural response that could come out of a God's elect child as His Spirit worked in even at such a moment.

After all these years, I am being reminded of that moment more and more especially in recent days.I don't get drunk like that anymore. I could say I've learned my lessons now. But my disbelief in God's sovereign grace, that God has got everything under His gracious control, still leads me to look for some other escape routes, namely, books, TV, internet, games, whatever.

Perhaps it is time that I start asking again. "Pray for me."May the Lord be merciful to me.

Thursday, 27 September 2007

To say that would be a presumptuous and even a dangerous thing if God is not pleased with me, but a greatly encouraging and accurate blog explains how this is true, and in fact, the author insists that it is important to accept/preach this truth. I can't agree more, and after reading it, I was moved to worship the One in prayer and thanksgiving accordingly.

A worth while read for anyone who wants to sing songs for our beloved Lord, and live out one's life for Him who loves us, especially in this present age where the word 'love' is losing its meaning. As a teaser, I give you the title here: Jesus, I’m NOT in Love with You

I'm being greatly helped by this book I am reading, Life At Its Best.As I read the book, I feel as if I am having a direct conversation with the author, and feel Mr. Peterson gently encouraging me to stand up again from my slump and walk in and with Christ. In fact, I am finding quotable texts more frequently than I get a chance to write a blog post here.

Anyways, here's one on worship.

I have put great emphasis on the fact that Christians worship because they want to, not because they are forced to. But I have never said that we worship because we feel like it. Feelings are great liars. If Christians only worshipped when they felt like it, there would be precious little worship that went on. Feelings are important in many areas, but completely unreliable in matters of faith. Paul Scherer is laconic: 'The Bible wastes very little time on the way we feel'. We live in what one write has called the 'age of sensation'. We think that if we don't feel something there can be no authenticity in doing it. But the wisdom of God says something different, namely, that we can act ourselves into a new way of feeling much quicker than we can feel ourselves into a new way of acting. Worship is an act which develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God which is expressed in an act of worship, our deep, essential need to be in relationship with God is nurtured.

-pp. 46, Life At Its Best by Eugene Peterson

May God have mercy on me that I worship and serve Him always.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. - Rom 12:1

Monday, 24 September 2007

I'm reading a book by Eugene Peterson, Life At Its Best. Actually this book contains three books that have been published before by the same author. I may not agree with some views Mr. Peterson holds to, but I am very much thankful for his service I received through the books he's written.

Here's a quote from what I read today, regarding repentance.

The usual biblical word describing the no we say to the world's lies and the yes we say to God's truth is repentance. It is always and everywhere the first word in the Christian life. John the Baptist's preaching was, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Mt. 3:2). Jesus' first preaching was the same: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Mt 4:17). Peter concluded his first sermon with 'Repent, and be baptized' (Acts 2:38). In the last book of the Bible the message to the seventh church is 'be zealous and repent' (Rev 3:19).Repentance is not an emotion. It is not feeling sorry for your sins. It is a decision. It is deciding that you have been wrong in supposing that you could manage your own life and be your own god; it is deciding that you wee wrong in thinking that you had, or could get, the strength, education and training to make it on your own; it is deciding that you have been told a pack of lies about yourself and your neighbours and your world. And it is deciding that God in Jesus Christ is telling you the truth. Repentance is a realization that what God wants from you and what you want from God are not going to be achieved by doing the same old things, thinking the same old thoughts. Repentance is a decision to follow Jesus Christ and become his pilgrim in the path of peace.

Tuesday, 18 September 2007

I've finished reading "A Biblical Case For An Old Earth" by David Snoke. Here's my review.

Well presented case for an old earth view.

In this readable book, Dr. Snoke presents enough of both scientific and biblical evidence to build his case, while mainly using biblical texts to build his case. He also understands the theological implications of different views on the matter, not only of his own view.While he powerfully builds his case (for a "day-age" model of old earth), he remains humble enough not to dismiss others with a patronizing tone as some other people in this field do. He tried to present the evidence and implications for an old earth view with integrity and honesty without causing unnecessary quarrellings.

To me, this book contains the most convincing arguments I have read so far regarding this subject, and I am persuaded in many ways.

Wednesday, 12 September 2007

[Professor Kellehear] said: "Forty years ago, being dead used to be very simple - it was the point at which your heart stopped beating. Now death itself has been complicated by the fact that we can keep alive people who are brain dead almost indefinitely. Brain death is the point at which doctors can switch off machines or begin harvesting organs, but, to relatives, being brain dead is not the same as being a corpse. Corpses are not warm, they are not pink, they do not move, they are not pregnant - but a person who is brain dead can be all of these things. ... I would argue that these should be social decisions. To better inform these decisions, we need a closer look at the social implications of brain death."

While this is discussion would be lead by secular ideas and understanding of death and human nature, hopefully it would help our society to be more biblically shaped by re-examining not only what "death" is, but the way some of the most fundamental issues have been handled in recent years. Am I being too naively optimistic about secular discussion? Maybe.

Tuesday, 11 September 2007

I have a dream - a dream to give all our fellow citizens in [Sydney] Diocese a copy of the word of God. This would have to be a major Christian effort and would involve planning, training, publications, prayer. If we set aside the year of 2009 in particular (the 50th anniversary of the first Billy Graham Crusade) and worked together on such a great project, I think we would experience much joy in the Lord's service. It would also help fulfil the aim of our Diocesan Mission that all may hear his call to repent and believe on him.

Would it not be a wonderful thing if, over the years following such an effort, many people became Christians? Would it not be wonderful if some person to whom you gave a copy of the word of God read it and was saved? Such things happen and we ought to trust God and pray to him that he will bless the distribution of his word in our region.

A vision and leadership I'd like to see... Read the original article here.

We do not wish to build marriage-and-family-centered churches, or spiritual-gift-centered churches, or accountability-centered churches, or ordinance-centered churches, or spiritual-discipline-centered churches, or program-centered churches, or education/doctrine-centered churches. We wish to bring our emphasis to the Person and work of Christ again and again and let the applications fall in line around him. It is the solar system of theology -- the sun (Son) is the key, and the orbiting planets fall in line with it (Him).

Yes, yes, YES!I can't agree more. It isn't so much that we cannot lead a (seemingly) "good Christian" life without hearing Gospel. It is possible for people to hear a persuasive and passionate talk which has no Gospel in it and they may change to more moral and "good". But that is the one of the worst, most devilish thing with non-gospel talks which tries to arouse hearers to be motivated to be "good". People won't even know that they are in need to Jesus, they won't even know they need to hear the Gospel over and over again and again, and they will slowly but surely go astray without even themselves noticing it!

Oh, God have mercy on me and my church, Your church, and bring the gospel-soaked preacher to our pulpit!

Monday, 10 September 2007

Finished reading "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson. Here's my short review of the book. (originally posted on shelfari)

What a trip!From the tiniest particle we know of to the largest object we have seen in this universe, from the time of big bang (or just right after) to the 21st century.

If I learned anything from this book, it must be that we humans know so little about the world including ourselves. To be fair, it isn't so much that we are ignorant to all these, but rather the world is just so vast and there's simply so much more to know. Indeed, we only just begun to understand anything really.

Another good thing about this book was that the author didn't seem to take a side on an inconclusive scientific theory. As it is, Science should be understood as a discipline of approach to understanding the world around us, not the understanding itself. Good science tells us "what" in the universe, and sometimes "perhaps this is how" of it. But It shouldn't attempt to, and cannot explain "why" questions, since the "why" question is the subject of theology (and if you'd refuse to believe there's a such thing as theology, then, maybe philosophy). This book is humble enough to stop at "perhaps how".

Sunday, 9 September 2007

After a whole week living out of boxes, I've finally got to clean up the new place and unpack my stuff. It's so much nicer now, but still very much in need of more cleaning work to my liking anyways. Now I've unpacked my stuff, my computer is connected as well, and I hope I won't spend too much time in front of the computer meaninglessly...

Gordon Cheng quoted from "The Priority of Preaching: Prepare and Preach Properly or Perish", in Selected Works Vol II, by D. Broughton Knox, regarding the... well, the title of the article where Gordon quoted says all.

Oh, how I yearn for the gospel to be preached at my church every week. Oh, how I yearn for the gospel to be preached to me everyday! I should pray more for this.

Sunday, 26 August 2007

If you read "If someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits him" in a newspaper, would you say that is a gospel message and be glad? I wouldn't say that one line is a good presentation of the Gospel, it certainly lacks Jesus. But what if it did have Jesus, but like one in this newspaper in Malaysia.

It apparently shows Jesus smoking and drinking and appeared with the paper's daily spiritual message on its front page with the caption "if someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits him".

When I read this news about that newspaper, I didn't know whether to laugh or not...

Saturday, 25 August 2007

Just got a random phone call from some random person.I thought he was from a telemarketing when he asked if he could talk to Mr. Douglas. I told him you probably had a wrong number and thought he would say something like, "sorry, thank you, bye" or if he needed to be more persistent, then "could I talk to the owner of the house?" or "congratulations, you've won a holiday to an island with a catch!" But then this guy didn't do any of the things I expected, but instead, to my surprise, asked me where I was from!

I said: "What? You called me (thinking he was referring to which country I am in at the moment since the telemarketer might be in India and made a mistake). I'm in Australia."Random Guy: No, no. I mean, where are you from?Me: (this might not a telemarketer after all) You asked for Mr. Douglas, and there's no one by that name...RG: I think you are from India.Me: (somewhat offended, why, does my English sound like an Indian?) no, what, no..RG: Well, I'm from China, where are you from?Me: (what does this guy want!? Is he a stalker?) I'm not from China, and why do I need to tell you where I am from? (hmm... why does telling him where I am from feel like a big deal now?)RG: hey, man, what are you doing at home in Australia?Me: (that's it, enough of this random game!) Have a nice day!Then I hung up the phone.

Geez... What was that all about?I wonder if that call was really random or someone was playing a game... I also wonder why I was so defensive about telling him where I was from. I'm from Korea. Why did I feel so protective of my identity and privacy?

Google Earth was fun to play with, sometimes personally useful, and perhaps even educationally valuable. I sometimes used it to have a look at my sister's university, and where about my mum is now living and so on. I even used it to measure how long my running track was. But now, with the latest version of Google Earth (version 4.2+), I can see the sky as well! WOW!

Wednesday, 22 August 2007

My IT department got a new/renovated office last week. It was hard moving desks, equipments, and all, but it all paid off. I really like this new office. Unfortunately, I haven't got a photo of it yet. When I get a chance to take a photo of the new office, I'll post it up, even if it's taken from my puny mobile phone camera.

Monday, 13 August 2007

An article I read a few days ago talks about the (crisis of) health care system in USA with a little twist, WWJD?

I found the link to it through a blog entry by Justin Taylor. (Justin Taylor has co-edited - the other co-editor being no other than John Piper - a book called 'Suffering and the Sovereignty of God'.)

Now, I guess the devil is in the details, and without knowing much in depth about what they are talking about, I am not going to decide on which side I am on. But what is interesting and should be noted is that, the (seemingly) obvious answer to a question (as it was at my first impulse on this case) can be argued against in different ways (including biblically), and may call Christians to be thoughtful.

Read a news about a hostage situation which ended up in three people dead (so far) at a church in Missouri. When I first read the news, it was quite sketchy, and when I woke up I was starting to get worried about my sister who lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and my mum who is visiting her. I was quite sure that the incident took place nowhere near where my sister lives, but for some reason I kept on imagining about the worst case scenario... I sent her an email from work, but didn't get the reply till the end of the day (probably because they went to church and went out for some sightseeing afterwards), and I was getting a bit more worried than I perhaps should have.

When I read the news again this evening, it was clear that my family weren't involved in that tragedy at all, and I thank God. Then, I thought about the terrible ordeal all of those people (presumably my brothers and sisters in Christ as they were at church) had to go through yesterday, and the families of the dead and the wounded, and prayed shortly. Also, I pray for the gunman, that God may show His glory by reclaiming that man to one of His.

However, I wonder if it is that much of misconduct as the accusing party of the incident claims. Ok, I admit, it is possible that the officers have crossed the boundaries permitted by regulations and law, and if they have, it is understandable that they are accused based on the relevant laws. But I can't shake off the feeling that if I was in the similar situation, that is, given an opportunity to promote the Gospel, if I was given a opportunity to say publicly that I am on God's side and He is on mine, even if it may be so close to a legal boundary that I am not sure if I am crossing it, how could I resist it, how dare I decline it? Even if I knew perfectly well that I was about to cross the legal boundary, that couldn’t have meant that I must’ve kept quiet! We, as Christians, operate on God-given freedom, under God’s rule.

To be honest, I am not entirely sure if I could actually jump at the opportunity and show everyone Whom I really work for and risk my career (and what not). I am too chicken for that most of the time. I probably would so easily rationalise the situation and think it is not good to do so if you look at the big picture. I do that all the time. But at that moment, am I acting upon God-given conviction and conscience, or am I reacting to worldly intimidation with my corrupt and timid mind which compromises so subtly? In fact, I would have to ask this question to myself whether I choose the way the officers seemed to have chosen or some other more subtle ways.

Back to the officers’ case, with such limited details of what exactly happened, and my lack of expertise in the area of politics and law, I would rather commend those officers as my brothers in Christ. I am not sure if they knew to full extent what they were doing when they appeared on the promotional film, and even now as they go through these troubles, some may be discouraged and disheartened by what they are experiencing. But, one thing I am sure of is this. If they are Christians, if they are indeed God’s elect, they will be singing and praising God about all the troubles they are going through now and count them as honour. Even if they can’t do so right now, they will be sometime before and as they enter through the gates of Heaven. That is the way of the disciples of Jesus.

Then [disciples of Jesus] left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name [of Jesus]. - Acts 5:41 (ESV)

Wednesday, 8 August 2007

Well... the official title of the evening was 'Eliza Ferrie Public Lectureand Book Launch' (held by the PTC Sydney at a Presbyterian Church in Burwood) which included a lecture by Dr. Tremper Longman III.I did not know anything about Dr. Longman until my friend, Hanoh told me that he was one of the contributors to his beloved Reformation Study Bible. I then thought, "hmm... probably worth while listening to him." The lecture was filled with many jargons that I couldn't understand, and it wasn't Dr. Longman's fault. He explained any difficult words (eg. some abbreviations or some words/place names from ancient Near Eastern World) first time he used them, but there were just a bit too many of them for me to remember. Still, I think I understood some main points of the lecture.

1. Currently, there are two main views on the timing of the Exodus, 15th century BC, and 13th century BC.2. There are archaeological evidence/interpretations supporting (or raising questions for/against) both views.3. Even though it may not affect our ground for salvation, the historicity, ie. the fact that Exodus did happen (whether in 15C BC or 13C BC) is crucial in understanding the Bible as whole and trusting God as who He really is. (eg. Psalm 77)

There were probably few other important points Dr. Longman made, but alas, my mental capacity stops here tonight.

By the way, while this is probably beside the point of this post, you can find more information about the Reformation Study Bible here and here. I don't have it yet, but I recommend it if you want/need a Study Bible.

Monday, 6 August 2007

After seeing this blog, now I'm really getting curious what the APECers will have to wear this year.I really would like to see them (un)dressed in the aboriginal style of animal skin short pants (only) with some body painting! :-D

So the question that I ask is not what sort of a life you are living. It is not that I am not interested, but that is not the first question. The question the Bible asks us all, the question that the cross puts to us, is not that, or how you spent last night; or whether you are moral or immoral; or what your thoughts are. No, its first question is: what is your relationship to God? God made man in his own image, so that he might live to his glory. The first great question in the shorter catechism of the Presbyterian Church, which I am never tired of quoting, is ‘What is the chief end of man?’ And here is the answer: ‘The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.’ God made us for that, and if you are not doing it, you are a terrible sinner. You say you have never committed adultery. I am not interested. You say you have never committed murder. That is not the first thing. The question is, are you living to the glory of God? Is God the chief end and object of your life? Is God the centre of your interest? Are you submitting yourself in obedience to him? That is the question.

- p. 160, The Cross, Martyn Lloyd-Jones

What is the chief end of myself? It is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever!

Sunday, 5 August 2007

What fools we all are. What have you to boast in? Who are you? How do you live? You tell me you are a great intellectual, and I ask you, how do you live? What if everybody knew the things you do? What if everybody knew the things you think, or the things you play with in your imagination? Where do you stand? You, who are self-satisfied, are you ready to come up and to be cross-examined, and to be honest and admit how you live, and all the jealous, envious, rapacious thoughts, and how you commit murder in your mind? You have not done what that wretched assassin did in Dallas, Texas, the other day*, but you have done it in your spirit. You have murdered people. You hate them with a bitter hatred, and that is the thing that is damnable, and which causes the division, and builds the middle walls of partition. But it is only the cross that tells us that. There is nothing that will humble the pride of men, and of nations, except to see the truth as it is revealed by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

- p. 149-150, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Cross

* This sermon was preached in 1963 shortly after the assassination of President Kennedy.

I am a fool. I am a murderer. I am boastful, and being so good at it I am so subtle that people may not recognise it all the time. But as Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenges, in fact, as the Scripture confronts me, if everyone knew the things I do, and thoughts in my mind?God knows, and I must admit that I have pride, I have that bitter hatred. Oh, Lord, save me, and break my pride and make me humble once more, and every and each day in my life, that on the day I stand before you, I'll be found humble and I'll be known by You.

...God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ... (Gal 6:14 part)

Now, there are many people who think they are Christians when they are not. That is not my opinion, the Bible says it, and we know that it has been true throughout the centuries. There are people who think they are Christians simply because they are born in a particular country, or for other reasons of that kind. But this is the test, 'what is your boast?' If you boast more in your country than in the cross of Christ, there is no need to argue about it, you are not a Christian. Does that sound drastic? That is Christian teaching. The apostle Paul used to boast of the fact that he was a Hebrew. He did not afterwards. He was still glad that he was. He does not derogate from his appreciation of being a member of the family of God's children on earth, even in a physical sense. But he does not boast of it. It must not be the big thing, the thing that moves us most of all. It must not come first.

- p. 86, The Cross, Martyn Lloyd-Jones

God! Take away my boasting, pride, things I glory in, except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for I am a Christian, and I want to be a Christian, and I know You want me to be one too. May I glory in our Lord Jesus Christ who was crucified on the cross, and in Him alone. May I glory in Him more and more... God help me...

...far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ... (Galatians 6:14, part, ESV)

Gordon Cheng wrote an excellent article at Daily Telegraph. In principle, I think that's how we should treat any celebrities, not only Paris Hilton. Applause when an actor acted well, applause when a singer sang well, but leave them alone and show them some respect when they aren't on the stage (as well as when they are).

The Christian is a man who says, I do not care what has happened; I do not care what may happen. I do not care what it is - atomic bombs, or anything you like. For me, nothing can ever approach in significance to the thing that happened there on the cross when Jesus of Nazareth died and was buried in the grave and rose again, and went back to the glory everlasting.

- p. 64, The Cross, Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Hope nobody's misunderstanding here. A Christian is not a man who is indifferent to anything and everything. He would know what is happening in the world, and he would be concerned about its well-being. However, if he is indeed a Christian, he is a man who is totally captivated by the cross, because it is the most significant, great, wonderful thing that has ever happened. And there will be nothing that can even come close to its glory ever!

...God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ... (Gal 6:14, part)

Thursday, 2 August 2007

So here were people in confusion, and they are, as I pointed out, in confusion today. Nothing is more necessary than that we should be perfectly clear about our authority, and there are only two ultimate authorities: the bible, or anything else you like. There is no other choice. Everybody bases his opinion either upon this book or else not upon it. I do not care what it is if it is not on this. There are many possibilities apart from this, it does not matter, because they are all the same in that they are not the Bible.

- p. 40, The Cross, Martyn Lloyd-Jones

I often base my opinions on my experience apart from God's word. Sometimes on popular trends I base my opinions totally apart from God's holy word. I should read and know my Bible more in order to un-learn much of my knowledge. God help me.

I hate when someone tells me about a movie when I haven't seen it yet. Same goes for the books too. To my shock and horror, this primary school teacher did not really care about such things. Poor kids, how could she be so slack!

Thursday, 19 July 2007

I didn't go to work today, but stayed home because I had to open doors for plumbers to work on some pipes under my unit. I was a little annoyed by the fact that I had to use up a day worth of my annual leave for just about 10-15 minutes for the plumbers, but in the end I think I got a good day of resting, reading, web-surfing, watching tv, exercising, etc.

While spending time on the net today I spent some time on these two sites (or rather a game and a site) and couldn't help myself but share my discoveries.

1) The ultimate violent/destructive gameThis has got to be the most sinister looking computer game. I won't spoil it for you. Go and have a look, and no, I don't think you need to buy the game, but download and play the tutorial, and see what I mean... well, don't worry, you won't see any blood, promise.http://www.everybody-dies.com/

2) TreehuggerLet's be environmentally aware.http://www.treehugger.com/I have some reservations against the thoughts that the "renewable" energy/technology will secure our future as human beings, held by some conservationists, and I am annoyed at those "environmentally friendly" people who aren't quite "humanly friendly". But, as a Christian, I think we are all invited by God to do what we can to love God by loving (or in more descriptive, although limited terms, taking care of) God's creation. Let's not get into arguments with "what is more important" questions like, man or animal, or preaching the gospel or preaching the global warming, etc. I hope you already know the answer, if in doubt, ask God. (well, if you don't know how to ask God, then... talk to some Christian around you, or even me.) Hmm.. anyways, I think this site is quite reasonable, thoughtful and considerate, it seems to me at least.